How Long Will I Have to Register as a Sex Offender in California?

July 16, 2018
By
The Law Offices of Jarrod M. Wilfert

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According to California law, individuals convicted of certain
sex crimes are required to register as sex offenders with a local law enforcement
agency. Convicted sex offenders in the state are required to register
for life, no matter the seriousness of the offense. However, California
lawmakers have introduced a three-tiered sex offender registration system.

Going into effect on January 1, 2021, individuals required to register
as sex offenders must do so for a minimum of either 10 years, 20 years,
or life. Tier one requires registration for those convicted of the lowest
level of sex crimes, while tier two pertains to mid-level sex crimes and
tier three involves the most serious offenses.

Tier-one level crimes (minimum of 10 years on the registry) include:

Misdemeanor sexual battery

Felony sexual battery

Misdemeanor sodomy

Felony sodomy (where there was no force)

Misdemeanor oral copulation

Felony oral copulation (where there was no force)

Enticing a child into a house for prostitution

Inducing sex by fraud

Indecent exposure

Annoying a child

Misdemeanor for meeting with a minor for lewd purposes

Misdemeanor acts of penetration with a foreign object

Misdemeanor child pornography

Tier-two level crimes (minimum 20 years on the registry) include:

Rape when the victim is at least 18 years of age and is incapable of providing
consent because of a mental disorder or physical disability

Sodomy with a minor under 14 years old and more than 10 years younger than
the defendant

Sodomy when the victim is incapable of giving consent due to a mental disorder
or physical disability

Oral copulation with a minor under 14 years old and more than 10 years
younger than the defendant

Oral copulation when the victim is incapable of giving consent due to a
mental disorder or physical disability

Acts of penetration with a foreign object when the victim is incapable
of giving consent due to a mental disorder or physical disability

Acts of penetration with a foreign object when the act is done against
the victim’s will by threatening to retaliate in the future, or
when the victim is incapable of giving consent due to a mental disorder
or physical disability

Annoying a child as a second or subsequent offense

Incest

Tier-three level crimes (lifetime on the registry) include:

Rape

Spousal rape by force

Aiding a rape or acts of penetration with a foreign object

Murder committed during the commission or attempted commission of rape
or another sexual act

Assault with intent to commit a felony

Kidnapping during the commission or attempted commission of rape or another
sexual act

Felony child pornography

Sex trafficking children

Giving or transporting a child under 16 years of age for a led purpose

Pimping and pandering with a minor

Taking away a minor for the purpose of prostitution

Aggravated sexual assault of a child

Lewd acts with a minor under 14

Oral copulation by force

Oral copulation by date rape

Sodomy by force

Sodomy by date rape

Sex acts against a child 10 years old or younger

Contacting a minor with intent to commit a felony

Continuous sexual assault of a child

Acts of penetration with a foreign object by force or when the victim is
under 14 years of age or over 10 years younger than the defendant

Once the minimum term of the sex offender registry has been completed,
it is possible for convicted sex offenders to file a petition seeking
termination of the registration requirement. If there is proof the person
has kept up to date on his/her registry, he/she has been registered for
a minimum amount of required time according to the tier, there are no
pending charges, and he/she is not in custody or on parole, then the registration
requirement can be terminated.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.